U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.) is one of several local officials expected to speak at a press conference Tuesday morning to discuss the disappearance of a Lakewood resident who went missing in Israel on Friday.State Department

LAKEWOOD – A group of local officials are scheduled to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. to discuss the disappearance of a township resident who has been missing in Israel since Friday.

Aaron Sofer, 23, of Lakewood, went hiking in the Beit Zayit area of the Jerusalem forest with a friend on Friday when the two became separated at approximately 12 p.m., local time, while they were navigating down a steep incline, according to a report from The Jerusalem Post.

Authorities began searching the forest after Sofer's friend contacted police around 6 p.m., The Yeshiva World News reported.

Police set up a command center at the foot of the forest and search crews drove vehicles with loudspeakers through surrounding residential neighborhoods, the report said.

A massive search was launched in conjunction with the well-known search and rescue organization Ichud Hatzalah and Zaka, who were joined by thousands of volunteers, local officials said.

Sofer's family flew out to Israel on Sunday to aid in the search, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In June, the bodies of three missing Israeli teenagers were found in the north-west city of Hebron. Authorities in Israel said at the time that Hamas was responsible for their deaths.

Officials have not ruled out that Sofer was abducted by a terrorist-related group, the report said. Israel Police Foreign Press spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post that "all direction are being looked into."

Tuesday morning's press conference is scheduled to take place at the Lakewood Township Municipal Building at 10 a.m. Speakers are expected to include Senator Bob Singer, U.S. Rep Chris Smith, Ocean County Freeholder Gerry Little, Lakewood Mayor Menashe Miller and other local officials.